Newbie gear question 2300 budget.

Unless money is simply not an issue, I can't see any good reason a relative beginner with ordinary needs should be spending that much. High quality gear is nice, but doesn't take much better images under most circumstances. If I were going to spend that kins of money I'd be very tempted to go full frame, though that would be a squeeze with your budget. At least that gets you some definite advantages. But I really think you should be asking yourself what you expect from this camera that you can't get from a consumer-grade camera costing half as much. For a serious hobbyist who uses his camera often those advantages might be worth quite a bit, but most of the things you use your camera for are quite ordinary and require only basic gear. Then there are low light action shots (performances,say) that can be tough/impossible at any budget.

You've already had two very good cameras that should have done nicely for general family photography. Your one definite complaint is that they were too small or difficult to use. Finding a camera that fits your hands better is just a matter of holding a bunch and seeing how they feel. You may find something that feels good and doesn't cost much. Or not.

Good points. Like I said the Nex 6 was a good camera I had no major complaints i liked almost every aspect better then the D5100 including image quality. I just want to step up. Im leaning towards a Sony A7 right now because my positive experience with the NEX 6. However im still considering others.

That being said i plan I using the camera very often but not mainly for family photography or portraits, more for street, landscapes, architecture, travel.